A controversial plan to undertake a “comprehensive refurbishment” of a Grade II listed building — currently home to Britain’s oldest Indian restaurant — has been approved by council officers.
Planning officers at Westminster City Council last night approved the Crown Estate’s proposals to alter the ground floor of Victory House, as part of a broader refurbishment to create office spaces on the upper floors of the Regent Street property.
It comes as a a “major blow” for Veeraswamy, which has operated from the site since 1926 and welcomed high-profile guests including Princess Anne, Lord Cameron, and King Abdullah of Jordan.
As part of the redevelopment, the existing entrances to both the historic Veeraswamy restaurant and the above offices will be removed to make way for a larger, consolidated reception area for office tenants.
However, without a dedicated entrance, the future of the restaurant is in serious doubt. The Crown Estate previously said it would not renew the restaurant’s lease as a result.
Co-owner of MW Eat, Ranjit Mathrani, objected to the plans at the council meeting yesterday, citing the importance of the building’s heritage. However, he told The Standard that the council went with the expert advice of the officers that “heritage status does not apply to a brand or a heritage restaurant but to a place or asset”.
“It’s short-sighted to only see heritage as in the constraints of buildings and assets,” Mr Mathrani said. “There is a cultural and living dimension to heritage not just bricks and mortar.”
Mr Mathrani said the restaurant “will continue to fight” for its place at Victory House, despite this setback, and is looking to achieve a compromise with the Crown Estates.
“The proposal is considered compliant with the relevant adopted City Plan policies and the applications are therefore recommended for conditional approval,” the planning document reads.
Although Veerasawmy’s lease expired at the end of June, MW Eat — the company behind Veeraswamy — has launched legal action against the Crown Estate. The restaurant is allowed to continue trading until the court hearing, which is expected to take place next spring or early summer.
Veeraswamy holds a protected tenancy, which grants long-term tenants enhanced rights. If the court rules in the restaurant’s favour, its lease could be extended by up to 14 years.
Now that planning permission has been approved, a major hurdle has been cleared to allow the Crown Estate to proceed with its legal challenge to block the lease renewal.
But Mr Mathrani said the restaurant will continue in its fight, to gather support from members of the public and to try and find a compromise with the Crown Estates.
“This sense of outrange in the community will grow and grow,” he said. “We are going to fight on. It hasn’t come as a surprise and we knew the odds would be stacked against us.
“So, while it is a setback, in our fight we weren’t relying on it.”
Mr Mathrani said the restaurant now looks towards either a compromise or to see the case play out in court.
Mr Mathrani, 82, claims he has suggested “numerous alternatives” to the Crown, but to no avail.
He said he is open to sharing an entrance with office tenants or to giving back the first floor of the restaurant and keeping the basement and mezzanine floors.
Over 17,000 people have signed a petition calling on His Majesty King Charles III to intercede with the Crown Estate and to “protect a historic institution” from closure.
When asked about the support received from the public, Mr Mathrani said: “I think there is a general sense of outrage amongst people.
“To say, how can a body like the Crown Estate be so uncaring and really be engaged in what is effectively an act of cultural vandalism and with little regard for history — of Britain and India intertwined.
“We’re not going to give up. A lot of time, passion and energy has been put into this restaurant for the last 27 years.
“It’s not a museum, it’s a living restaurant which epitomises the best of Indian food and the best of this complex relationship between India and Britain.”
“There are very strong emotional connections here for us and we would be distraught to see it having to close down, and we're touched by the expressions of loyalty we've had from so many people.”
The Crown Estate declined to comment when approached by The Standard.
A spokeswoman for the Crown Estate previously said: “We need to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of Victory House.
“This includes a major upgrade to the offices and improving the entrance to make it more accessible. Due to the limited options available in this listed building we need to remove the entrance to the restaurant, which means we will not be able to offer Veeraswamy an extension when their lease expires.”
